~ a journal

Blackened feet and free

I ran barefoot today and it was the most amazing sensation. Totally unplanned and very spontaneous so ended up holding my shoes and running but all I felt was joy.

Ms. A is back in town and we got out for an easy run/walk today when we bumped into another Dr. G. It was her first day back to running after a long gap and we walked/ran while chatting. We got talking about flat feet and I shared my experience about how my feet have changed. The two of us got our shoes off a mile into the run/walk and I kept mine off for the rest of the way. There was no discomfort except for some stretches with a little gravel.

My soles are much thicker now than what they used to be a year ago, ever since I ditched wearing slippers at home. All the leg work in yoga works from the feet up so I have better grounding as well as control over my toes. Perhaps that may explain the ease of running on the streets without any shoes.

Some observations
– it felt as though a great weight was lifted off my feet.
– felt lesser impact on my knees.
– my legs lifted easier and my stride was better.
– landing on my feet felt surer and springing off the ground was instinctive.
– despite the shoes in my hands, running felt effortless and natural.

This was just one run so it is not conclusive and I don’t know if there will be any discomfort later. But for a maiden run, it was liberating and the compulsive part of my head wants to latch on to it. This was not on my plan but I think I may run barefoot on some shorter runs and see how it goes.

Just for today, I came back with feet as black as coal and a smile in my heart.

Yep. I think that’s the key. It can really help you in the long run, but it can injure you in the short term, just because we’re so used to all these “supportive’ and “cushioned” shoes. But he’s done marathons now in “barefoot shoes”. I’m not quite ready to try anything like that yet, but might do evantually…

Although I’m not a runner, I discovered Vibram foot gloves and loved the feeling of walking in them, or practising my tai chi. Through these I also discovered the ecstasy of wearing toe socks – I don’t wear anything but, now!
; ]

It just happened! Actually, the running felt different, like all my senses were completely alive. I suppose the eyes worked a little harder but I wasn’t paying attention. It was just a very euphoric experience.